In light of the assassination attempt on Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords on Saturday, January 8, I thought it would be appropriate to have a discussion on the topic.
Saturday was a very tragic day for our nation. With current counts of at least 13 injured and 6 killed, we all mourn together that for several families, there will be an empty seat at the kitchen table. Among those killed was a 9 year old little girl. Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones.
I’d like to start with some updates, a little historical context, and some of the notable statements issued by public figures on the incident:
Rep. Giffords was the first female and one of five victims of assassination attempts made upon a politician actively serving in Congress. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20110109/tr_ac/7569454_history_of_murder_and_assassination_attempts_on_us_congressmen
Mary Rose Wilcox, member of Arizona’s Maricopa County Board of Directors, was shot in 1997 by a man who was angry about the impending ‘baseball stadium tax’. Prior to the assassination attempt, Wilcox had been targeted on local talk radio which encouraged Maricopa residents to, “take her out.” At trial the shooter confessed, “I shot her because the radio said I should take her out.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/10/extremism-in-arizona-victims-political-violence_n_806657.html
NBC Chicago reports that Illinois representative Danny Davis received an email on Sunday that read, “Danny Davis is next” in presumable reference to the shooting on Saturday. http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/danny-davis-threat-giffords-113177769.html
Sen. Feinstein (D-CA), who served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, was the person to find the bodies of Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone after they were assassinated by Dan White in 1978 has issued the following Statement:
“…This senseless violence has no place in a free society. She and the other victims were engaged in the very essence of democracy, an elected representative meeting face-to-face with her constituents.
I have seen firsthand the effects of assassination, and there is no place for this kind of violence in our political discourse. It must be universally condemned. We do not yet know the gunman’s motivations, but I am convinced that we must reject extremism and violent rhetoric.”
A big question on all our minds is: who is to blame? There have been many in the last few days who have placed the blame heavily on media figure, Sarah Palin for her use violent rhetoric including referring to elections as ‘salvos’, her famous “don’t retreat, RELOAD” tweet in reference to losing Republican elections, as well as gun-scope crosshairs on an online “target list” of incumbent Democrats, Rep. Giffords being one of those targets. In response to those allegations, many on the right have began placing blame on the left calling the shooter a “left-winger” and a “known liberal extremist.”
There is some evidence to suggest that the shooter may have been mentally ill and despite a report from Fox News that the suspect may have had involvement with the anti-government, white supremacist group known as American Renaissance, those claims have been contradicted by the DHS and the FBI who claim they have not established any such link.
While it is easy for the left to blame the right and the right to blame the left for the type of hateful and incendiary speech that often inspires these massacres, the blame comes to rest with those individuals who substantiate the language in an attempt to capitalize from it. Truthfully, it does not matter what is being said or who is saying it. News, websites, and other mass media transport vehicles are the ones who turn things said into something to worry about – therefore, validating the potential implications but not necessarily the correct intentions of the speaker.
An attack upon a serving member of any level of elected office is an attack on our Democratic process. Find out about legislation. Understand what it means. Figure out why you are for or against it and verify your facts but you must put faith in our system. That means learning about policies, candidates, and going out to vote when it comes time for primaries, generals, locals, congressional, and presidential elections.
It is far past the time to take the partisan politics down a notch, turn the volume up on truth and information, and allow our system to do what it is in place to do. Below are some resources I have found helpful in keeping current with new legislation and verifying information I receive on editorial news networks. If you feel compelled at any point to contact your representatives, check out our Resources page for links to contact both local and federal representatives in any State.
For political news without the editorial commentary:
Non-partisan, non- profit, tax policy information from The Tax Foundation:
Non-partisan, non-profit, economic policy information from the Committee for Economic Development:
For accurate information on just about any topic research The US Library of Congress:
To view and read all signed legislation, go here:
(You will be redirected to a branch of the Library of Congress that will lead you through a few steps and give you the signed bill, in its entire and original form)
All generalized information from The White House:
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